Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini believes Liverpool cracked under the pressure of last season's Premier League title race.

Pellegrini's side were beaten 3-2 at Anfield in April, a result which left them trailing Liverpool by seven points at the top of the table with two games in hand.

But Brendan Rodgers' men managed just two wins in their remaining four fixtures as they lost to Chelsea and drew at Palace, while a six-game unbeaten run saw City storm to the title.

Pellegrini said: "I was not surprised (Liverpool did not win the title).

"I was absolutely convinced when I said the words that I said, 'Careful. It's not finished because they have to play four games more and the pressure, when you are at the top of the table, is increasing after every game'.

"The most important thing for us was not to think about Liverpool, but to think about what we had to do â we had to win the last five games and we did.

"I can't talk about what happened with Liverpool at that moment, but from my experience, when you are finishing the season, the pressure increases for every team, not only for Liverpool.